Elmira vs. Wells
Game Details	Tuesday, Oct. 10 | Pine Valley, N.Y. | 3:30 p.m.
Game Coverage	Live Stats: Stats Link
Wells Links	Roster | Schedule | Stats

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College field hockey team will look to turn its 2017 season around on Tuesday afternoon, when the Purple and Gold welcome non-conference rival Wells College to the Murray Athletic Center. The matchup between the Soaring Eagles and Express is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Soaring Eagles opened their four-game homestand on Saturday, October 7, with a 4-0 setback against the Empire 8 Conference's first-place team, St. John Fisher College. The E8's highest-scoring offense was limited to just one goal in what proved to be a fairly-even first half. Both teams recorded nine shots in the first 35 minutes of action and EC held a 6-to-3 advantage in penalty corners. However, Cardinals goalie Ashley Maynard made all six of her saves in the opening half to preserve the shutout, while Elmira was held to just one shot in the second half. St. John Fisher tallied its first goal in the 16th minute, before finding the back of the net twice in a span of 2:20 early in the second half to put the game out of reach. Emily Markarian paced all scorers with two goals and Maynard finished with six saves in 60:52 to earn the win in the cage. For Elmira, Julie Hockenberger '18 got the start and made seven saves in 40:50. Tina O'Donnell '20 relieved Hockenberger for the final 29:10 and saved six shots.

MAKING EVERY SHOT COUNT
For the sixth time in 2017, the Elmira offense registered double-digit shots with 10 in Saturday's loss against St. John Fisher; however, the Soaring Eagles were unable to score a goal against the E8's second-best defense. It marks only the third time in Head Coach Lauren Silva's three-year tenure that the Purple and Gold have fired 10-or-more shots in a game but were held without a goal.
 
SCOUTING WELLS
After opening the 2017 season with nine straight losses, the Express have won two of their last three games, improving their record to 2-10 overall and 2-1 inside North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) play. In its 10 losses, the team has surrendered an average of 6.4 goals per game, while scoring only six goals combined. However, in its two wins Wells has outscored its opponents by a combined 5-2 margin. The Express scored a season-high three goals in a 3-1 victory over Bryn Athyn in the NEAC opener, and after a 9-2 non-conference beating at the hands of Castleton, they rebounded to edge Keuka by a 2-1 final score on Saturday, October 7. Offensively, sophomore Kelly Mason leads the Express in points (11) and assists (5), and she is tied with Mollie Walts for the team lead in goals (3). As a freshman in 2016, Mason was crowned a NEAC All-Conference First Teamer after ranking second on the squad in both points (15) and goals (7).

SERIES HISTORY
The Soaring Eagles and Express have met on 13 previous occasions prior to today's contest, which will mark eighth consecutive season in which the two sides have squared off. The all-time series has been controlled from the start by the Elmira women, who boast an 11-1-1 record against Wells. Despite the one-sided record, the rivalry has been decided by just one goal in each of the last three seasons. In 2014, EC needed overtime to defeat the Express in Aurora, New York, by a 1-0 margin. The following year, the Soaring Eagles snuck by Wells, 2-1, at the Murray Athletic Center, while last season's road matchup was decided by a 3-2 score in favor of the Purple and Gold.

UNBEATEN AT HOME
Since its inaugural varsity season in the fall of 2000, Elmira has yet to drop a home tilt to the Express. The Soaring Eagles are 4-0-1 against Wells at the MAC, which includes a rare 1-1 overtime draw on a wintry afternoon in October of 2011.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Soaring Eagles will play two more home games at the Murray Athletic Center over the next week, as part of the current homestand. EC will host Empire 8 foe Utica College on Saturday, October 14, at 1:00 p.m., before concluding the four-game home set on Monday, October 16, with a 3:30 p.m. non-conference bout against Bryn Mawr College.